Battle of Freeport Bay
| Battle of Freeport Bay | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Mexican War | |||||||||
 Ruins of Andorra and Fort New Mexico several months after the battle | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Earth Kingdom |
 New Mexico | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Adm. Chow Roching VBrg. Po Denan † |
Esteban Ramírez  | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
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Metalbender Marine Corps Earth Naval Aviation | Fort New Mexico Garrison | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
210 marines 1 aircraft carrier 3 F-1/NG Bosco fighters | 326 soldiers | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
62 killed 1 fighter shot down | Entire garrison killed or captured | ||||||||
The Battle of Freeport Bay was a battle between Earth Kingdom naval landing troops and New Mexican forces holding a strategically important fortress at the southern mouth of the Northern Canal during the Mexican War. The fortification, secretly built by New Mexico after its unilateral declaration of independence to assert its unrecognized sovereignty over the Northern Canal, enraged international opinion. The fort played a pivotal role in the leadup to war, with the casus belli occuring near the canal when the Andorran frigate Andorra attempted to intercept the New Mexican stoneclad Chicago on its return journey from Polaris, resulting in a naval skirmish, the scuttling of Andorra, and the assembly of an international coalition to reverse New Mexican secession.
The battle began on 31 July as a diversionary attack by a small detachment of Earth Navy metalbender marines while the main coalition force marched on Mexico City in a two-pronged assault from the north and the south. Supported in the air by the air wing of the aircraft carrier ENS Kyoshi, the force demolished the outer wall of the fort and poured into the perimeter, engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the defenders. Despite the early death of assault commander Vice-Brigadier Po Denan, the marines successfully eliminated New Mexican resistance, obtaining the surrender of the fort. After a ceasefire came into effect, the Earth Kingdom transferred the occupation of the fort to the Free Territory, which eventually annexed the installation in May 2022 and offered it back to the Earth Kingdom in a long-term lease. Today, the installation is known as Fort Andorra and garrisoned by the Earth Navy's Andorra Station naval squadron.
The Battle of Freeport Bay is notable as the only significant coalition victory during the Mexican War, despite being contemporarily overshadowed by the simultaneous defeat of the main coalition force at the Battle of Mexico City. It is an important event in the history of the Earth Kingdom, confirming the role of the Earth Navy as the nation's leading military branch.
Prelude
Battle
Aftermath
Legacy
The Battle of Freeport Bay is remembered in the Earth Kingdom as a formative event in the history of the Earth Navy and a glorious victory in an otherwise dour military conflict. Much as the July 3 anniversary of the cavalry's decisive victory at the Battle of the Northern Road became Army Day, 31 July is now officially commemorated in the Earth Kingdom as Navy Day.
The battlecruiser ENS Freeport Bay, commissioned on 10 November 2021, is named in memory of the battle.